The rest of us, meanwhile, may be losing the very skills that allow us to hold these gatekeepers to account. Once we become accustomed to placing our faith in the handy oracle on the kitchen counter, we may lose patience with the laborious—and curiosity-stoking, and thought-­provoking—hunt for facts, expecting them to come to us instead. Why pump water from a well if it pours effortlessly from your faucet?